Where Art Thou, Little Bee?
by Gage39
Summary: Leaving Bumblebee alone on Earth was the dumbest thing that Optimus had ever done. They were only going to be gone for two weeks; what could happen? When they come back two years later they find the base and Bumblebee gone and the Decepticons in charge.
1. Prologue: Departure

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Prologue: Departure

In retrospect Optimus Prime really should have known better. Everyone said it was a bad idea; Ratchet said so, Prowl said so, even Bulkhead said so. Okay so maybe leaving Bumblebee alone on Earth for two weeks hadn't been the smartest thing Optimus had ever done. Okay it was the dumbest thing he had ever done…at least according to Ratchet that is.

"This is the dumbest thing you've ever done, Prime!" Ratchet yelled.

"I concur," Prowl didn't move from his position leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

"I gotta agree with Ratchet for once," Bulkhead said hesitantly.

"Hey who's side are you on, big guy?" Bumblebee complained.

"Sorry," Bulkhead apologized.

"Even I don't think that's a good idea," Sentinel Prime agreed.

"Well what else do you want me to do?" Optimus asked in exasperation. "Ultra Magnus wants me to give him a report of how we're doing, he needs Ratchet to give him an update on how Omega Supreme is, Bulkhead to explain more about the space bridge accident with Megatron and Jazz needs Prowl to help him teach a ninja class so that leaves Bumblebee."

"I told Ultra Magnus that leaving him," Sentinel inclined his head toward Bumblebee, "was a bad idea but he insisted. We do need to hurry up though. We have a three day journey ahead of us and I don't really want to be stuck on this backwater planet any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Are you sure you'll be right?" Optimus asked, turning to Bumblebee.

"Yes, I'm sure," Bumblebee said. "You're only going to be gone for two weeks; what could possibly go wrong?"

"On second thought maybe Ultra Magnus should come here instead," Optimus suggested.

Every bot in the room let out a loud groan and Sentinel muttered, "We're never going to leave."

"Okay, okay," Optimus sighed. "I guess we can go now. Contact us if you get into trouble," he ordered Bumblebee.

The yellow minibot rolled his optics and let out an exaggerated sigh, "Sure thing, boss-bot."

"Can we go now, please?" Sentinel begged.

Optimus nodded then he, Bulkhead, Prowl, and Ratchet gathered their things and followed Sentinel out the door. Bumblebee waved at them until he could no longer see them then looked around the empty living room. Suddenly it seemed a whole lot bigger and quieter. He hadn't realized just how much noise the other four bots had made; even Prowl had contributed a slight crack from the rafters when he hid there.

A beep from one of the consoles caught his attention. A squeak emitted from his vocal processor when he realized that it was Blitzwing. He raised his servo to com the others but lowered it instead. There was no need to call them; he could handle Blitzwing; couldn't he? With that he transformed and zoomed out of the building.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Bumblebee's all right?" Bulkhead asked anxiously.<p>

"I'm sure he's fine, Bulkhead," Optimus sighed, not opening his optics as he leaned back in his chair, having heard the question at least one hundred times already in the past two days.

"Are you sure?" the big green mech pressed.

"For the one hundredth and eighty-fifth times, yes we're sure," Prowl snapped, his servo tightening on the shuriken that he had been in the middle of polishing.

Bulkhead opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again as Ratchet turned and said, "If you say one more thing about Bumblebee I'm gonna deactivate you myself then melt you down for spare parts." Then he settled back in his chair, a smug look on his faceplate as Bulkhead also settled back looking rather pale.

"Will you all just shut up?" Sentinel groaned. "You're giving me a processor…" he was interrupted as one of the consoles began beeping. "Oh what is it now?' he rose and walked over to the console. Grumbling all the while he pressed several buttons as he tried to figure out what was wrong. His optics grew wider and wider as he read what was on the screen. "Optimus," he said in a slightly strangled voice. "We have an asteroid storm heading straight for us."

"What?" Optimus jumped to his pedes and moved to stand behind Sentinel, peering over the other bot's shoulder struts. "Slag," he cursed when he saw the objects moving straight towards them.

"Are we gonna die?" Bulkhead wanted to know as he, Prowl, and Ratchet came to stand behind Sentinel as well.

"Of course not," Prowl said. "More than likely we will just get a little…banged-up is all."

"Off-lined is more what I was thinking," Ratchet grumbled.

"Evasive maneuvers aren't working!" Sentinel announced. "Actually nothing's working."

"We're sitting ducks," Bulkhead moaned.

"Sitting ducks?" Sentinel questioned; a confused look on his faceplate.

"It's an Earth expression," Optimus explained.

They fell silent and watched as the asteroids moved closer and closer to them. All too soon the asteroids broke through the ship, crushing everything in their path. Optimus watched as his three teammates were taken down first and then it was his turn. As the asteroid hit him he could hear the sound of metal crunching; his last thought was _Bumblebee…_ then everything went black as his frame shut down in emergency stasis.

A/N: In this universe Sari does not exist. Everything else happened like it did in the TV show but without her. I aplogize to any Sari fans out there but I just don't like her.

A/N/N: 5 reviews per chapter, please.

A/N/N/N: Anyone who feels like doing fanart or stories that go with any of my stories are more than welcome too. Just send me the link. Also, (and I know that this is asking a lot) does anyone feel like doing a fanart of chapter 9 of 'Mixed-Up' where Bumblebee and Sentinel Prime are fighting in front of the portal? You don't have to but if you do I would really appreciate it.

A/N/N/N/N: I hope you like this story; please let me know what you think.


	2. Two Years

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 1: Two Years

_Optimus…_

_Optimus Prime, wake up…_

When Optimus awoke he felt slightly disorientated. Positive that he had heard a voice calling his name, he looked around for the source but saw no one. He blinked as he felt the rest of his systems booting up. He was about to get up when he happened to glance to his left. There lay Prowl, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Sentinel Prime in berths similar to his, their optics still shuttered.

"Oh good, you're awake," a voice said cheerfully. Optimus turned to see a bot standing next to the door. He was very unique looking as he had his battle mask engaged and two fins, one on either side, protruding from his head. "I'm Wheeljack by the way," he continued, drawing closer to Optimus, "I've been waiting for a long time for you guys to wake up." Seeing Optimus glance at his teammates Wheeljack said, "Oh don't worry about them. They should be waking up any minute now."

Even as he spoke there came a groan from one of the berths and Prowl sat up, rather slowly. "Where am I?" the ninja bot groaned weakly.

There was another groan then, "My processor is killing me," from Sentinel.

Bulkhead came online next and said that he felt kind of dizzy while Ratchet just grumbled that he was far too old for this kind of slag.

"I'm sure that all of you feel slightly disorientated," Wheeljack said, "and that's understandable. So if you have any questions feel free to ask."

"What happened?" was the first thing that came out of Prowl's vocal processor.

"Well your ship was destroyed during an asteroid storm and you were badly damaged as well. After the storm passed Ultra Magnus sent Rodimus Prime and his team to look for you; when they found you they brought you back here. Perceptor and I have spent the last two years rebuilding you," he said proudly, his fins flashing a brilliant blue.

Optimus tried to speak but discovered that he was unable to do so. After several unsuccessful tries he finally succeeded in stammering out, "Two years? We've been in emergency stasis for two years?" his voice rose several decibels on the last part of that sentence.

"Yeah," Wheeljack nodded.

"Two years?" Sentinel repeated.

Optimus just ignored him and asked, "Where's Bumblebee?"

Immediately Wheeljack's fins flashed a distressed looking yellow and he refused to look at them as he said, "You're going to have to discuss that with Ultra Magnus."

"Two years?" it was greatly apparent that Sentinel was in a state of shock.

Before Optimus could ask any more questions the door opened and two bots entered the room. One of them Optimus recognized as Ultra Magnus. His companion was strange looking as well thanks to the long microscope lens sticking out of his left shoulder strut.

"Hello, Optimus," Ultra Magnus said. "It's good to see you awake at last. This is Perceptor," he gestured to the bot standing next to him who merely nodded, "and I see you've already met Wheeljack."

"Yes, sir, we have," Optimus said politely, "and it's good to see you too. Not to be rude or anything, sir, but has anyone told Bumblebee that we're back online yet? I'm sure he must be very worried."

Ultra Magnus's smile disappeared and he turned to look at Wheeljack who shook his head. The Autobot leader released a weary sounding sigh and said, "No one has heard from or seen Bumblebee since you left Earth."

"No one's seen him in two years?" Bulkhead interjected; his optics wide.

"I'm afraid not," Ultra Magnus replied. "After we found you we tried to contact him but were unable to do so. I was going to send Rodimus Prime to Earth to look for him but then there was that business with Shockwave and by the time that was taken care of you were almost repaired so I decided that it could wait."

"Shockwave?" Ratchet grunted in mild curiosity.

"Yes. He was operating under the guise of Longarm Prime which he used to infiltrate the Elite Guard," Perceptor explained in an odd, flat, emotionless tone. "Not long after you were found he tried to kill Ultra Magnus and, although as you can tell he didn't succeed, he did managed to steal the hammer. The Elite Guard spent the better part of the last two years chasing him all over Cybertron and the surrounding planets. Fortunately they were able to capture him before he did too much damage."

"Longarm Prime was Shockwave?" Bulkhead gaped in shock.

"You knew Longarm?" Wheeljack asked, fins a light blue color.

"Bumblebee and I went to the Academy with him," Bulkhead answered, looking slightly morose at the mention of his little yellow buddy.

"Two years," Sentinel said, looking slightly dazed.

"Are you sure he's all right?" Ultra Magnus questioned.

"There was some minor processor damage," Wheeljack informed him, "but he should be fine."  
>"Two years."<p>

"In a few days that is," Wheeljack added, "maybe longer."

"What about us?" Ratchet asked. "Are we all right?"

"Of course," Wheeljack looked as insulted as a bot with no mouth plates could, his fins flashing bright orange. "Perceptor and I personally designed your armor which is now slightly tougher, not to mention durable, than regular armor. You have received weapons upgrades which are even better than battle upgrades. Not only that but your coms can now reach across a greater distance," he said proudly, helm fins now flashing bright blue again.

The room was silent as the four bots, minus Sentinel of course, struggled to absorb all that they had heard. Two years spent in emergency stasis was a long time; long still to go without word from their friend.

"So do I still have a wrecking ball?" Bulkhead asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Perceptor stated as he checked Sentinel's vital signs. "Your weapons were merely upgraded; not replaced. You should still function as you did before but more efficiently."

Optimus nodded then, rising to his pedes, turned to address Ultra Magnus. "With your permission, sir, my team and I would like to return to Earth and start searching for Bumblebee. It is possible that he was captured by the Decepticons which would explain why he hasn't been able to get in touch with you."

"Yes it certainly would," Ultra Magnus agreed. "Very well you may return to Earth and look for him. However, if within a year you still haven't found him I will declare him off-lined and you will return to Cybertron. Is that understood?" the words might have been phrased as a question but the firm tone in his voice said it was anything but.

"Understood, sir," Optimus replied.

Satisfied, Ultra Magnus turned and left the room, the door closing behind him.

A/N: 5 reviews please.

A/N/N: If anyone is wondering why when Optimus woke up he didn't see anybody then did immediately after that here is your explanation: he was slightly disorientated and some of his programs weren't online yet so he didn't really register that anybody else was there until he fully woke up. If you're a college student then you understand what I'm talking about.

A/N/N/N: If anyone wants to read a really great Transformers: Animated story then check out 'Betrayal' by Stitchar. It is really, really good!


	3. Return To Earth

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 2: Return To Earth

"The ship's almost ready, once it's done then you can go," Ultra Magnus informed Optimus.

"Thank you, sir." There was an awkward silence then Optimus asked the question that had been plaguing him since he had awoken a few days earlier. "Why did you save us? No offence but normally when a bot is as badly injured as we were, they are deemed irrepairable and off-lined."

Ultra Magnus sighed wearily, suddenly seeming very old. "To be perfectly honest I myself am not entirely sure why either. I just have this feeling that you and your teammates will play important roles in the years to come."

Optimus nodded then Ultra Magnus smiled at him before turning and walking away, leaving the red-and-blue bot to ponder over his words.

* * *

><p>Two days and one hundred and seventy-five tests later the space bridge repair crew was ready to depart. They waved goodbye to Wheeljack who kept shouting warnings about their upgrades, Perceptor who had said virtually nothing to them and Ultra Magnus who had kept them appraised of what had been going on for the past two years. Though a part of Optimus didn't want to leave it was necessary if they were going to find Bumblebee. That is if there was even a Bumblebee left to find.<p>

The first day passed in silence; other than giving orders or asking meaningless questions none of them spoke. The morning of the second day passed the same way but, in the early afternoon, Bulkhead asked a question: "Do you guys think that Bumblebee's still online?"

The others froze and stopped what they were doing to turn and look at the big green mech. "I honestly don't know," Optimus said finally "but even if he isn't we'll do our best to find him."

"Okay," Bulkhead said and settled back in his chair, not noticing the other three bots exchanging uneasy glances behind him.

By the third and final day of their journey Bulkhead had asked about Bumblebee so many times that Prowl had finally snapped and threatened to off-line him if he didn't stop. Needless to say Bulkhead had fallen quiet after that and they were able to make the remainder of their journey in silence. A few hours later they finally reached the Milky Way, glancing at all nine planets briefly before making a beeline towards Earth.

"Prime," Prowl said as they entered Earth's atmosphere, "I am picking up Decepticon signals in Detroit, specifically Robot City in some of its more populated sectors."

Optimus sighed. "Great," he said, "just what we needed."

"Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asked eagerly.

Prowl shook his head. "I'm not picking up any Autobot signals but that doesn't mean anything. He could be masking his signal so that the Decepticons can't find him," the black-and-gold bot tried to reassure Bulkhead.

"Yeah, maybe," Bulkhead still didn't look convinced but said nothing else.

Deciding that it would be best if they didn't attract the Decepticons just yet they landed in a deserted field not far from Robot City.

"Well, here we are back on Earth," Optimus said, looking around at all of the organic life surrounding them.

"Terrific," Ratchet grumbled. "That means parking tickets, mud, rust, and humans!"

"Trees, birds, cats, nature," Prowl sounded happy.

"I hope Bumblebee's all right," Bulkhead said worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine," Optimus attempted to reassure Bulkhead, despite the nagging feeling that he was lying.

"Yeah he's probably hiding. He'll jump out any minute now and scare us silly," Bulkhead said, sounding as if he were trying to convince himself more than he was them.

The four Autobots cautiously walked through the woods, taking care to muffle their footsteps the closer they drew to the base. Optimus tried to quail the sense of dread steadily growing in his tanks but was unable to.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Ratchet muttered.

Prowl said nothing but glanced uneasily at the trees surrounding them, one servo unconsciously tracing the edge of a shuriken. Bulkhead scooted a little closer to Optimus and turned his right servo into a wrecking ball.

The closer they got to Robot City the more obvious it became that the Decepticons had taken over: trees had been cut down, some were cut in half while others were missing limbs and been cut to a stump. There were so many holes in the ground that it was almost impossible to even walk in robot mode let alone in their alternate modes. The once lush, green grass was now brown; the scorch marks on the ground telling what had happened.

Far too soon, at least in Optimus' opinion, they reached the edge of the woods which meant they weren't far from the base. As they exited the line of tress Optimus could have sworn that he saw a glimpse of yellow out of the corner of his right optic but when he turned his head to look he saw nothing so he dismissed it as his imagination and continued walking.

It wasn't long before they reached the dirt road that led to the base.

"It's good to be home," Bulkhead said happily.

"I just wanna get some recharge," Ratchet grumbled.

"After we look for Bumblebee," Prowl said. "It's far too dangerous for him to be out there all by himself."

They stopped walking and turned to stare at the ninja bot in disbelief. "That's a nice thing to say," Bulkhead said.

"That was very nice, Prowl," Optimus commented. "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," Prowl said. "What I meant was that it was too dangerous for everyone else; not for Bumblebee."

"I should have known better," Bulkhead said gloomily.

They resumed walking and didn't say another word until they finally saw the base. When they did, jaws dropped, optics widened and they just stood there in shock.

"What happened?" Bulkhead managed to ask.

"I don't know," Optimus said as he gazed at the spot where the base had been.

A/N: 5 reviews please.

A/N/N: Sorry that this chapter's so short but the next one should be longer. Should be.

A/N/N/N: As for why I don't like Sari; it's nothing personal, I just never liked any of the humans on the Transformers (except for Lennox and Epps). In my opinion they should do a Transformers movie or show with no humans (well none who are main characters). That would be awesome.

A/N/N/N/N: Jazz and the Jet Twins aren't in this story because they got called away at the last minute to do something else.


	4. What The Slag Happened?

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 3: What The Slag Happened?

The base was gone; all that remained of it was a pile of rubble. There were pieces of the walls and roof scattered all over the concrete parking lot along with Prowl's tree which looked like it had been pulled up, roots and all, then hacked into several pieces.

The Autobots didn't move, but just stood there; stunned. They simply couldn't believe what their optics were seeing, what their processors were telling them. After what seemed like an eternity Ratchet shifted his position, the sound of joints creaking breaking the monotonous silence. "I think it's safe to assume that the Decepticons have been here too."

Optimus could only nod; his vocal processor unable to form any coherent words.

Three hours later the sun was shining down bright on the four Autobots as they cleaned up what was left of their base. "I think we should go look for Bumblebee," Bulkhead complained.

"After we finish cleaning up," Prowl said. "He could be anywhere."

"And what about the Decepticons?" he argued. "Are we just going to let them run rampant?"

"Until we find out what all has happened in the last two years, yes," Optimus said, moving another piece of concrete.

"You did come back," a voice said.

Startled, the Autobots looked down. There stood Captain Fanzone, still wearing a police uniform but now it was a couple of sizes too big. His face was drawn and covered with lines, making him appear much older than he actually was.

"Hello, Captain," Prowl said.

"So you finally came back," the captain moved forward, leaning on his cane as he took a couple of steps.

"We didn't mean to be gone for so long," Optimus said, not entirely sure why he was apologizing but feeling like it was the right thing to do.

"Thought you had forgotten about us organics," the human grunted, sitting down on a block of concrete.

"We've in stasis for two years," Optimus explained. "We just woke up a few days ago."

Captain Fanzone nodded. "Good reason," he said. "Real good reason."

"Captain Fanzone," Optimus said gently, "what happened?"

The man was quiet for several minutes, obviously lost in thought. Finally he said, "It was about two years ago right after you Autobots left. The Decepticons just showed up one day…"

* * *

><p><em>It was a beautiful spring day in Robot City. The sun was shining down on beautiful bright-colored flowers, a slight breeze rippled through the trees, gently waving the green grass. The sounds of children laughing and screaming as they played together floated in the open window of the yellow police car. Captain Fanzone permitted himself to smile briefly when he saw a ten-year-old girl punch a boy who had been pulling at her pigtails. He scowled when he realized that the two children were now pummeling each other. Sticking his head out the window he called, "Hey break it up you two."<em>

"_Yes, sir," they called before picking up where they had left off._

"_Kids," Captain Fanzone muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. He drove further down the street, planning on stopping by Sumdac Towers just to make sure that Professor Sumdac wasn't working on anything…new. His last experiment had almost taken out half of Robot City. Thanks to the Autobots, however, the disaster had been averted when they put out the fire. There were, Captain Fanzone had to admit, certain advantages to having five alien robots living in town. Chiefly, Professor Sumdac had promised not to experiment until their return, something that Captain Fanzone was extremely grateful for as the only Autobot in Robot City hadn't been seen for several days; which was one of the reasons why the police captain was going to check up on their resident inventor. Another was that when the Professor got caught up on his research he almost always started tinkering with new ideas which almost always ended with an explosion._

_Having reached Sumdac Towers he was about to turn into the parking lot when suddenly Blitzwing appeared right in front of him. Cursing, the police captain swerved and crashed into a mailbox. He groaned and leaned back in his sear as the airbag popped out of the steering wheel. "This is why I hate machines!"_

* * *

><p>"The big one that they call Lugnut showed up not long after that. The Decepticons destroyed the police station and the fire department before wiping out over half of Robot City, starting with your base."<p>

"How many people were killed?" Optimus asked, praying that the number wasn't very large.

"One hundred and thirty-six people died altogether including Professor Sumdac."

Optimus felt saddened at the news. While he hadn't known the eccentric human for long he had genuinely liked the man. The Professor had been one of the first inhabitants of the planet to welcome the Autobots and help them fit in. "I'm sorry for your losses," he said sincerely.

"Thanks," the human said then fell quiet.

"Do you know where ht Decepticons are now?" Optimus asked, already formulating a plan.

"Yeah probably at Sumdac Towers, that's where their base is. Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

Optimus smiled. "I have a plan."

"Should we be worried?" Bulkhead whispered in Prowl's audio sensors.

"Yes," Prowl whispered back.

"Just checking."

* * *

><p>All was quiet at the Decepticon base. Well as quiet as it could get with Blitzwing, Lugnut, and Starscream all in the same room.<p>

"No," Starscream said, not looking up from the datapad he was perusing.

"Please," Blitzwing's Random personality begged.

"For the one hundredth time, no!" Starscream snapped.

"Actually you have said no ninety-five times," Icy said before Random took over again. "If you don't say yes I'm going to sing," he warned.

"I don't care; I'm still not going to dance with you!"

"Both of you shut up!" Lugnut ordered, rising to his full height.

"You shut up," Icy retorted, pointing his weapons at Lugnut.

Starscream sighed and ignored his bickering companions as he continued to read the datapad. During a lull of the screams the Decepticon leader heard something beeping. He rose to his pedes and crossed the room to where a computer monitor was. He peered at the screen then his optics widened when he realized what the computer was telling him. "Autobots!" he yelled, the noise in the room immediately quieting.

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: This is after the space bridge accident with Megatron. Starscream doesn't have any clones nor did he get lost in space.


	5. Decepticons Where Is Bumblebee?

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 4: Decepticons/Where Is Bumblebee?

_They were back. The news had traveled quickly through the woods until it had reached him. The ghostly apparition had set out at one, knowing where they would go. He had watched from a distance as they walked through the woods, listening to their every word. The leader, the red-and-blue bot, had seen him. He had hid and waited anxiously until the bots had moved on. Unable to leave the woods he had watched them until they disappeared from view then returned to his home, content to wait for the time being. They would come to the woods one day and then they would free him._

* * *

><p>"Autobots?" Icy asked worriedly.<p>

Starscream nodded. "Four of them," he said.

"They must be the companions of that Autobot Blitzwing killed," Lugnut growled.

"Vhat is all this talk about Blitzwing?" the triple-changer protested. "Neither one of you would have passed up the opportunity had you been presented vith it."

"He's got a good point," Starscream admitted.

"We'll argue about this later," Lugnut said decisively. "Right now we've got some Autobots to destroy."

"He's right too," Starscream said as he brought his weapons online and charged them.

The Decepticons transformed into their alternate modes then flew out of the base. It didn't take them long to reach the center of the city where they found four Autobots and Captain Fanzone waiting for them.

"So," Starscream said as he transformed back into robot mode and landed on his pedes. "You came back."

"Yes we did," Optimus said as Blitzwing and Lugnut landed, following their leader's example.

"Prepare to die, puny Autobots!" the Hothead personality yelled, pointing his weapons at them.

"You know that's exactly what I was fixing to say to you," Optimus pulled out his axe.

Random began laughing so hard that his frame threatened to fall apart. "Stop making me laugh," he finally managed to choke out.

"He didn't say anything funny," Prowl said, twirling a shuriken between his digits.

"Any bot who thinks he can beat Lord Megatron's chosen soldiers is a fool," Lugnut proclaimed.

"I'm your leader now!" Starscream yelled angrily. "You should be calling me lord, not Megatron!"  
>"Megatron is our leader; you are merely filling in for him until his triumphant return!"<p>

"He's never coming back!"

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout…"

"How did these guys ever take over anything?" Bulkhead asked.

"How should I know?" Ratchet grumbled.

"Enough!" Starscream finally yelled. "Let's destroy the Autobots then we can argue over who is the supreme leader of the Decepticons."

"Ve are!" Blitzwing yelled then Icy took over. "Ve vill destroy the Autobots!"  
>Starscream eyed the triple-changer warily but weapons back at the Autobots. "Prepare to die," he hissed then began firing.<p>

Bulkhead reacted quickly; swinging his wrecking ball at Starscream who was forced to move back a step, causing him to fire at Blitzwing.

"Hey," Blitzwing protested, "you never shoot at your own soldiers if you vant to lead them." Hothead took over and began shouting, "You dare shoot Blitzwing? I'll show you shooting!" A steady stream of fire emitted from the tank and hit Starscream.

"Stop!" Lugnut roared. "We must defeat these Autobots so that they will know of Lord Megatron's glorious…" he was interrupted by Blitzwing who accidentally hit Lugnut right between the optics with a stream of fire. His optics flashed an even brighter red than normal and, with a roar, punched the ground creating an enormous hole. Dust and concrete flew up in the air, drowning out the Decepticons screams as they fell.

After the dust settled the Autobots cautiously walked over to the edge of the crater and peered in. At the bottom lay Starscream, Blitzwing, and Lugnut. The Decepticons were groaning in agony as they were now missing a few limbs.

Blitzwing raised his head and said weakly, "Ve surrender," then let out a groan as his head fell back with a thump.

"Well," Optimus said. "That was easier than expected."

* * *

><p>It took five hours, three cranes, and a lot of effort to pull the Decepticons out, their wings having been damaged in the initial fall.<p>

"This is all your fault," Starscream hissed, shooting Blitzwing a scathing glare.

"How is it my fault?" the triple-changer wanted to know.

"If you hadn't killed their friend we might not be in this situation," Starscream said.

"What?" Optimus and the other Autobots turned to stare at the two Seekers.

"Now you've done it," Lugnut grumbled.

"What did he mean by 'killed their friend'?" Optimus demanded.

"Vell," Blitzwing said. "You hadn't even left yet I don't think. Ve vanted to get some target practice so ve vent to the woods. The annoying, yellow minibot showed up a few minutes later. Ve fought and he vent offline."

While the Decepticon had been talking Bulkhead's faceplate had been growing darker and darker until he let out a feral roar of fury and swung his wrecking ball at Blitzwing. Since he was handcuffed the triple-changer couldn't more out of the way in time and got hit directly in the faceplate, leaving a very big dent.

Before Bulkhead could hit Blitzwing again Optimus grabbed his arm. "No, Bulkhead," he said, shaking his head.

"But he killed Bumblebee!" the green mech cried.

"I know but if you kill him then you're no better than he is." Bulkhead opened his mouth as if to say something but Optimus continued. "He's not worth it," his voice softened, "Bumblebee wouldn't want you to do this."

At the mention of his friend Bulkhead's shoulders slumped and his wrecking ball fell to the ground. At that precise moment he was the very picture of sadness and misery.

Optimus laid a servo on one of the green shoulder struts and said, "We'll lock them up somewhere and tomorrow we'll have a service for Bumblebee."

Bulkhead nodded then turned and walked away, heading in the direction of their destroyed base.

Optimus watched him go then turned to Prowl and Ratchet. "Prowl, go search Sumdac Towers and see if there's somewhere we can lock them up. Ratchet, you don't have to fix them but do try and dull the pain."

"Sure thing," the medibot grunted then he and Prowl transformed and drove off, leaving Optimus to guard their prisoners.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Captain Fanzone said as he walked up to Optimus. "If there's anything I can do…"

The Autobot looked down at the human and managed a smile. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "Is there somewhere we could hold a memorial service for Bumblebee?"

Captain Fanzone nodded. "There's an abandoned cemetery not far from here. No one ever goes there anymore so he shouldn't be disturbed. After you deal with these idiots," he inclined his head towards the Decepticons, "I'll be more than happy to show you where it is."

"Thank you," Optimus said again, gratitude filling his voice.

"No problem."

* * *

><p>Normally he would have looked around him and tried to memorize his surroundings so he could paint them later but today Bulkhead didn't. his thoughts weren't on painting but rather on a certain yellow minibot. He came to a stop when he had driven past what remained of the base. Transforming he sat down on the ground, felling like a part of him had died, not noticing the yellow figure watching him from the woods.<p>

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Sari will NOT be appearing in this story.


	6. Camping

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 5: Camping

Bumblebee's memorial service was held around mid-afternoon. As Blitzwing didn't remember where in the woods he had killed the minibot there was no body. Instead they buried a picture that Bulkhead had painted then all said a few words, staring with Prowl and ending with Optimus as Bulkhead was far too emotional to say anything. Captain Fanzone had been invited but had declined, saying that they should be able to mourn their friend in private.

The service didn't last long; they said their farewells then Optimus decided that, since Bumblebee was dead, he should contact Ultra Magnus and tell him the news. Bulkhead and Ratchet were going to watch the prisoners while Prowl decided that he wanted to go camping. So the four Autobots transformed and drove off, going their own separate ways.

* * *

><p><em>They looked sad; that was his thought as he watched them at the cemetery. Especially the big green one he had seen yesterday. He watched eagerly as the black-and-gold bot turned and headed towards the woods. At last, one of them was coming. It wouldn't be long now…<em>

* * *

><p>Prowl loved everything about nature. He loved the tall trees whose branches swayed with the wind, the soft green grass that sprang back up after you walked on it; the beautiful flowers that added color to the world… Of course he also liked to observe the animals as well, finding them infinitely more interesting than the humans that Bumblebee had dedicated himself to learning everything that he could about them.<p>

Prowl shook his head; now was not the time to be thinking about Bumblebee. It wasn't like he had actually cared about the younger bot; he hadn't and why should he? The minibot had been loud, annoying, and painting that horrible yellow color.

Clearing his processor of all thoughts, Prowl walked deeper into the woods, taking the time to stop and scrutinize every little detail. If this was going to be the last time he ever set pede on Earth then he wanted to remember what it looked like. He took several holopics of the trees, rocks, and insects that he saw crawling on the ground. Directing a scowl at the mud he had stepped in he decided to see if he could find a suitable spot to set up camp as it were.

By the time he had found a place where he could recharge for the night it was already dark. The stars twinkled over head in the night sky but Prowl didn't notice as he was too busy starting a fire. He didn't really need a fire but liked the way the flames illuminated the dark night, casting shadows on the ground.

After checking to make sure that the area was clear he crossed his legs and began humming. Clearing his processor once again he focused on nothing in particular and was soon lost in his own private world.

* * *

><p><em>What in the world was that black-and-gold bot doing? Was the ninja actually humming? He frowned as he hid behind a tree, watching the other bot. Why would any bot want to sit there with their legs twisted into a pretzel and hum? It made absolutely no sense. Of course camping in the woods made no sense either. But at least one of them was even there. He had been worried that they would leave before coming to the woods. According to what he had heard earlier, however, this was going to be his only opportunity so he had to make his move tonight. Oh well, that was fine by him. The sooner this was over with the sooner he would be free.<em>

* * *

><p>The woods were quiet; a little too quiet. Prowl glanced around uneasily, an unknown noise having disturbed his meditation. Unable to locate the source of the noise he resumed meditating, keeping his sensors on alert just in case there was anything…dangerous out there. He highly doubted it but it never hurt to exercise a little caution.<p>

* * *

><p><em>That had been close; the ninja had almost seen him. While that was his ultimate goal he didn't want to be soon just yet, he had it planned down to the astrosecond and didn't want anything to go wrong. Cautiously, he peered around the tree and was relieved to see that the other bot had returned to…whatever it was that the ninja had been doing. Just a few more minutes…<em>

* * *

><p>Prowl was one hundred and ten percent positive that someone else was in the woods with him. First it had been the unexplained noises and he was sure that he had just heard someone giggling. Then there had been the yellow light that he had seen, moving amongst the trees just a minute ago. After putting out his fire he rose to his pedes then headed towards where he had last seen the light, determined to find whoever it was that was also out here. He walked along a well-worn path, making sure that he could see the light no matter what. After twenty minutes or so the light stopped moving. Prowl stopped as well and waited. A few seconds later the light began heading back towards Prowl. The ninja bot tensed and pulled out a shuriken, ready to defend himself. But when the sourced of the light was revealed his mouth fell open and his optics widened. Dropping his shuriken on the ground he slowly backed up then turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, desperate to escape the horrific being behind him.<p>

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry this chapter is so short but you'll be fine; right?


	7. He walked right through me!

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 6: "He walked right through me!"

Optimus walked into the red room and went straight to one of the tables where Ratchet was sitting. He lowered himself into a chair and let out a groan.

"That bad, huh?" Ratchet asked, downing a cube of high-grade energon.

"You have no idea," Optimus muttered. "Sentinel's still in shock so Ultra Magnus wants me to take Sentinel's position until he's able to do it again which, according to Wheeljack and Perceptor, could be another five years. He's very sorry about Bumblebee and wants us to leave Earth tomorrow."

"Great," Ratchet grumbled. "We haven't even been here two days and now we gotta get back on the ship, and with three Decepticons mind you, and travel for three days until we get there!"

Bulkhead, who had entered the room halfway through the outburst, stared at Ratchet, his optics wide and asked, "Do I wanna know what's going on?"

"We're heading back to Cybertron tomorrow," Optimus informed him.

"Oh okay," the big green mech sat down then asked, "Does somebody need to tell Prowl?"

Optimus considered the question then nodded. "This would be the perfect time to test out our new coms," he said thoughtfully. "I'll tell him." He raised his servo but before he could com Prowl the door flew open and Prowl entered. He was shaking so bad that it was a wonder that he was even able to remain standing. "Prowl, what happened?" Optimus demanded.

Prowl didn't respond but leapt onto Optimus, wrapping himself around the taller bot as he began whimpering.

"Prowl," Optimus said slowly, "get off of me." The ninja merely clung tighter. Optimus looked helplessly at Ratchet and Bulkhead whose expressions were somewhere between laughter and shock.

"I think Prowl's lost it," Bulkhead said as Prowl began to sob.

"I agree," Ratchet said.

It two hours, comforting words, and several tugs but they finally detached Prowl and sat him down in a chair. Bulkhead fetched a cube of high-grade while Ratchet gave Prowl a cursory examination.

"Well," Ratchet sighed, looking at Prowl and dismally shaking his head. "I have no idea what happened but as far as I can tell he merely had a nervous breakdown of some sort."

"I never would have guessed," Optimus said sarcastically. "Any idea what caused the breakdown?"

"No," Ratchet said. "No idea whatsoever. He's the only one who can tell us and we'll have to wait until he's calmed down sufficiently to answer."

"How long until that happens?" Optimus asked.

"No idea," was the answer.

Optimus sighed heavily and sat back down in his chair. Another hour passed before Prowl's shaking had finally subsided to the point where he could hold the energon cube without spilling it everywhere.

"Are you all right?" Optimus asked worriedly.

Prowl nodded. "As good as I'll ever be," he sighed, taking a long sip from the cube.

"What happened?" the tall Autobot asked.

"It was awful," Prowl moaned. "The most horrific thing I've ever seen."

"What was it?" Bulkhead asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know.

"It was," Prowl stopped and swallowed nervously. Glancing around the room, he leaned forward and whispered, "Bumblebee."

To say the other three Autobots were stunned beyond disbelief would have been an understatement. They sat there for several minutes, each one too shocked to say a word. Surprisingly enough it was Bulkhead who broke the silence. "But Bumblebee's dead," he protested. "We buried him earlier today."

"Well," Optimus said thoughtfully, "we never did find his frame. He could still be online…"

"He wasn't online," Prowl said.

"Oh," Bulkhead's shoulder struts drooped.

"You found his frame?" Ratchet grunted.

Prowl shook his head. "It wasn't his frame that I found," he said.

Optimus looked confused, "Prowl, you either found his frame or you found Bumblebee. Now which one was it?"

"Neither," Prowl said, having regained some of his usual cool.

"Prowl," Optimus sighed.

"Prime, forgive me for interrupting but tonight I not only saw Bumblebee but I could see through him. Then he proceeded to walk right through me."

By the time Prowl had finished speaking the others were once again staring at him with mixed expressions of shock and disbelief.

"Maybe he's a ghost," Bulkhead suggested after several minutes of silence.

"Never heard of a Transformer being turned into a ghost," Ratchet said slowly. "Now humans are a different story but that wouldn't explain why Bumblebee is a ghost."

"For all we know it could be a trick," Optimus said. "Maybe the Bumblebee that Prowl saw was merely a hologram."

"Holograms can't move," Prowl stated, his very tone daring Optimus to challenge him.

Not wanting to get into a fight Optimus said, rather hesitantly, "It is possible that the humans, or even the Decepticons, figured out a way to make holograms move."

"Well," Prowl said reluctantly, "I suppose that it is possible."

"Or it could really be Bumblebee," Bulkhead argued.

"It could be," Optimus said slowly, "but let's not jump to any conclusion just yet. We'll get a good night's recharge and tomorrow we'll go to the woods and search for whatever it was that Prowl saw."

The other Autobots agreed then they all exited the rec room, going to their private quarters where they fell into recharge, all except for Bulkhead who was keeping watch over the prisoners.

* * *

><p>In the brig the Decepticons were not recharging. Instead the three of them were plotting their escape. Or, more accurately, Starscream was plotting while Lugnut tried to recharge and Blitzwing was arguing with himself.<p>

"Knock it off," Starscream growled. "I'm trying to figure out how to escape."

Blitzwing stopped singing and turned to his temporary leader. "If you're as smart as you so often claim to be then you should have already figured out ve vere going to escape."

"It takes time to come up with a good plan and work out all the kinks," Starscream defended himself. "You wouldn't want us to break out only to get caught because I hadn't planned for all eventualities, would you?"

"I guess not," Blitzwing admitted after thinking it over for a few seconds.

Starscream smiled smugly then returned to plotting, a thoughtful look on his faceplate as he contemplated ways to escape.

While Blitzwing didn't resume singing he did begin humming under his breath, too low for anyone else to hear. As he lay in the brig, servos clasped under his cranial until and frame stretched out on the berth, his thoughts wandered to Bumblebee. He hadn't known the Autobot for very long for very well but from what he had seen the yellow minibot had been brave. Stupid and clumsy but brave. Judging by his reaction when Blitzwing had insulted his friends he was also very loyal. Loyalty was not a trait that the Decepticons practiced, Lugnut being the sole exception. None of them were really that brave either, cockiness and fear of Megatron egging them on, encouraging them to take stupid risks. While Starscream was a spineless coward he was also one of the most brilliant scientists that Blitzwing had ever met. Of course Megatron was smart too but, he had to admit, Starscream was much smarter.

A tired yawn escaped the triple-changer's vocal processor. Checking his internal chronometer he realized just how late it was. Yawning again he shuttered his optics and was soon in the world of recharge, leaving Starscream awake to plan their escape.

A/N: 5 reviews.


	8. Looking For A Ghost

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 7: Looking For A Ghost

Morning dawned quickly, bringing with it a sense of foreboding. Optimus wasn't sure if something bad or something good was about to happen but he tried to prepare himself either way. Despite the fact that it was six a.m. Optimus was up and ready, waiting in the rec room with Prowl and Bulkhead for Ratchet to come in. Fifteen minutes later the red-and-white medibot entered.

"Finally," Prowl sighed. "We thought you were going to recharge forever."

Ratchet shot him a dirty look. "I'll remember that the next time you need your thrusters re-calibrated," he threatened then smirked when alarm began to spread across Prowl's faceplate.

"What I meant," the ninja said hastily, "was that someone as wise as yourself can be as slow as you want."

"Good save," Ratchet muttered then turned to Optimus. "Well, Prime, what's the plan?"

"Go to the woods," Optimus responded promptly. "Have Prowl take us to where he was last night then we'll look around. If we haven't found anything by this afternoon then we will head back to Cybertron."

Bulkhead nodded reluctantly, sadness and resignation written on his faceplate.

"What about the Decepticons?" Ratchet asked suddenly.

"They'll be fine," Optimus assured him.

Ratchet didn't look convinced but he nodded anyway.

* * *

><p>Two hours later they were tromping through the woods, searching for any sign that their young friend might still be online. Although Optimus's processor told him that there was no way Bumblebee could still be online his spark couldn't help but hold out for that last bit of hope: hope that they would find Bumblebee still online, then they could all return to Cybertron. A little voice, however, kept whispering that they would be lucky if they could even find his frame. Optimus shuddered as the image of Bumblebee's gray, off-lined frame arose in his processor.<p>

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Bulkhead asked hesitantly as he looked around at all of the trees.

"Yes," Prowl growled through gritted denta as he continued to lead them further into the woods.

"We've passed that tree before," Ratchet commented.

Prowl said nothing but his right optic began to twitch. After another twenty minutes had passed he pointed to a clump of trees not far ahead. "That's where I was camping," he said.

Optimus nodded and they changed directions, angling towards the trees.

* * *

><p><em>They were here; all of them were here. Barely able to contain his glee, he watched as they walked over to where the gold-and-black bot had been the night before. They appeared to be arguing over something, the red-and-white bot grumbling under his breath while the blue-and-red one sent the other bots looks of exasperation. He tensed, anticipation running through him. It was almost time; soon he would be free. He counted to one hundred then left his hiding place, heading for his saviors. It was now time.<em>

* * *

><p>Wearily Optimus glanced around his surroundings…again. Other than a hastily put out fire and prints in the ground, obviously from Prowl's heeled pedes, there was no evidence that anyone else had even been in the woods recently. "After you set up camp then what happened?"<p>

"I was in the middle of meditating when I heard a noise. I opened my optics and that's when I saw a light. I followed it and that's when I saw…" his voice trailed off, clearly reluctant to say what it was that he had seen.

"If we don't find anything soon we really need to get going," Optimus reminded them.

"We're looking," Bulkhead sighed. "We're looking." He turned around and what he saw nearly made his optics fall out. He tapped Optimus on one of his shoulder struts and said, "Uh, boss bot, you might wanna take a look at this."

"What is…?" Optimus's voice trailed off as he spotted what Bulkhead was looking at.

"That's what I saw," Prowl said triumphantly as he and Ratchet turned as well.

"I'm never going to doubt you again, Prowl," Optimus said slowly as he stared at the transparent yellow minibot standing in front of them.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back on the ship, the Decepticons were working on a plan to escape. As a matter of fact they had almost been successful several times. Almost but not quite. Currently Starscream was trying to get his servo between the bars without touching them; a task that had so far proved to be impossible.<p>

"Aren't you done yet?" Blitzwing complained.

"Why don't you help me?" Starscream demanded. "That way we can get done sooner!"

Blitzwing made a face at Starscream but began trying to get his arm through the bars as well in hopes of reaching the keypad.

After several minutes of unsuccessful tries Lugnut finally grew bored and roared, "Enough!" He rose to his full height then hit the floor as hard as he could.

Cybertonian metal was a great deal tougher than concrete so it didn't crumble but the vibrations of the hit caused the keypad to short out. Once the energon bars had disappeared Lugnut stepped out and went to Blitzwing's cell. He tugged at the keypad until it clattered to the floor, releasing the triple-changer. Last was Starscream. Soon the flier had been let out as well and the three Seekers stood in the middle of the brig looking at each other.

"Let's go," Starscream said, moving towards the door, the other two behind him.

The Decepticons walked through the entire ship but found nobody. Eventually they stopped in the hallway and began arguing over what to do next.

"I say ve take their ship and go somevhere else," Icy said then Hothead took over and exclaimed, "No! I vill not run from some puny Autobots like a coward! Ve should stay and fight!"

"If we flee we shall be disgracing Lord Megatron's glorious name and I cannot allow it to be tarnished like that."

"Look," Starscream said, having heard all that he wanted to, "why don't we find the Autobots and attack them, okay?"

"Fine," Icy said reluctantly.

"The Autobots will die knowing that they severely underestimated Lord Megatron's army."

"My army!" Starscream yelled.

A/N: 5 reviews please.


	9. Autobots vs Decepticons

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 8: Autobots vs. Decepticons

The Autobots couldn't move; they were frozen in place, shock taking over their systems. After what seemed like an eternity Bulkhead opened his mouth and whispered, "Bumblebee?" disbelief coloring his voice.

"Hello, Bulkhead," the minibot's voice wasn't as screechy as it normally was but the voice still chased away any lingering doubts they might have had.

"You're alive," Bulkhead whispered happily.

Bumblebee shook his head. "I don't think I am."

"Then you're dead," Prowl stated matter-of-factly.

Bumblebee just shrugged. "I don't know," he said.

"Why happened?" Optimus asked gently.

"You guys had just left the base, literally. I picked up Blitzwing's energy signature and I thought that I could handle him so I went after him…"

* * *

><p><em>Bumblebee walked through the woods, stingers at the ready. Nervousness and even a little excitement coursed through his energon lines as well as a little pride. He was the lone Autobot on Earth; the only bot to challenge the Decepticons. He was the sole defender of the innocent…he was the only Autobot left on Earth. His shoulder struts slumped and he vented a heavy sigh. It wasn't fair that he had to be left behind; Cybertron was his home too! Why couldn't he have gone with them? Of course there was the fact that no one had asked for him to come. Even Prowl, who was one of the most anti-social bots that Bumblebee had ever met, had had someone request his presence. So what did that say about Bumblebee? It clearly spoke volumes about how many friends he had; four and they were all heading towards Cybertron.<em>

_Suddenly he realized that while he had been lost in thought he had found Blitzwing. The triple-changer was firing at the trees which had bulls eyes painted on them. Bumblebee frowned in confusion then brightened when he realized that Blitzwing was practicing firing. Bumblebee took a deep breath and, feeling slightly more confident, stepped into the clearing and casually asked, "Getting in a little target practice, Blitzwing?"_

_Startled, the Decepticon spun around then relaxed when he realized who had spoken. "Oh it's only the Autobot youngling."_

"_Youngling?" Bumblebee was insulted; he was no youngling! "I'll have you know that I'm a full-grown bot," he said indignantly._

_Blitzwing raised an optic ridge. "Oh really?" his voice was slightly mocking, as if daring Bumblebee to challenge him._

_Never let it be said that Bumblebee back down from a challenge. He lowered his head and charged at Blitzwing, intent on knocking the triple-changer over._

_The Decepticon, however, merely stepped out of the way, allowing the minibot to run headfirst into a tree. Bumblebee groaned and managed to sit up, servos tenderly cradling his aching and newly dented cranial unit._

"_You know," Blitzwing said thoughtfully. "I can't understand how the Autobots won the war in the first place if all of their soldiers are as weak as you."_

"_My friends are not weak!" Bumblebee yelled, his optics glowing red as he fired at Blitzwing who had been in the process of walking away._

_Blitzwing paused and slowly turned around. Walking towards the downed Autobot he said, "Now I can understand why they left you behind. You are a nuisance." He raised his weapons and fired directly at Bumblebee's spark chamber._

* * *

><p>"I don't really remember much after that," Bumblebee said. "When I…woke up the next thing I saw were the trees and no sign of Blitzwing."<p>

"Do you know why you became transparent?" Optimus asked.

Bumblebee shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Where is your frame?" Prowl asked.

"Follow me," Bumblebee turned and began to go deeper into the woods.

Optimus shrugged and they followed the transparent minibot, staying on the trail rather than going directly through the trees like Bumblebee was doing. It wasn't long before they reached another clearing. Faded red bulls eyes were painted on some of the trees while others lay splintered on the ground. But what drew the Autobots attention was the gray, motionless frame that lay in front of a big tree. The frame, without a doubt, belonged to Bumblebee.

"Primus," Ratchet breathed as he glanced first at the frame then at the minibot standing right next to it.

"My reaction too," Bumblebee said.

"So are you dead or not?" Bulkhead asked; feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"I have no idea," Bumblebee asked.

"Do you know anything?" Prowl asked in exasperation.

"I don't know," the minibot replied.

Bulkhead sniggered while Optimus and Ratchet made no attempt to hide their smiles much to Prowl's annoyance. "It's not that funny!" the ninja snapped.

"Yes it is," Bulkhead managed to gasp in between laughs.

Prowl crossed his arms and turned away, looking extremely miffed.

"We're sorry for laughing," Optimus apologized with a straight face.

"And I'm very sorry for scaring you last night," Bumblebee added.

"You didn't scare me!" Prowl declared as he spun around to face them. "You merely…startled me."

Suddenly Bumblebee frowned and cocked his head to one side as if listening to something. "The Decepticons have escaped and are heading this way," he announced calmly.

"What?" Optimus straightened. "How did they get out?"

"How should I know?" Bumblebee demanded. "I'm not the one who left them alone."

"We were looking for you," Optimus pointed out then something occurred to him. "How do you know that they're coming?"

Bumblebee smiled and said mysteriously, "The woods told me."

Prowl opened his mouth as if to say something but thought better of it and closed his mouth again.

"They'll be here shortly. I suggest you go ahead and charge your weapons," Bumblebee advised.

"Can you use your weapons?" Optimus asked hopefully.

Bumblebee shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said. "My weapons no longer have an effect on anything; at least none that I can see."

The Autobots shifted into battle mode, bringing their battle masks and weapons online. Bumblebee ducked behind a tree saying that since he couldn't really help he might as well stay out of the way.

It didn't take long for the Decepticons to get there, arriving shortly after Bumblebee's initial announcement. "Well if it isn't the brave Autobots," Starscream sneered. "You really should have known better than to leave us alone."

"I can assure you it won't happen again," Optimus said.

"No it won't," Starscream agreed, "because you'll be offline by the end of the day!"

With that the Decepticon pointed his weapons at the Autobots and began firing. Optimus retaliated by pulling out his axe and charging at the flier. Ratchet was using his magnetizers to create a force field that blocked Blitzwing's ice and fire. Prowl and Bulkhead distracted Lugnut, one of them keeping the Decepticon occupied while the other snuck up from behind and attacked. Between the four of them they managed to hold the three Decepticons off…for a while at least. Eventually, however, it became harder and harder for the Autobots to stand their ground, allowing the Decepticons to gain even more of an advantage than they already had due to their superior size and weaponry. It wasn't long before Starscream had Optimus backed up against a tree, his weapons pointed at the Autobot's spark chamber.

"Do you surrender?" the Decepticon asked.

"Never," Optimus growled then pushed forward as hard as he could, sending the Decepticon stumbling back several steps.

Starscream laughed. "The one thing I can say for you Autobots is that you're persistent, not to mention annoying," he added after nearly losing his arm to the red-and-blue bot's axe.

"Some of our finest traits," Optimus replied then mentally slapped himself when he realized that it sounded just like something Bumblebee would say. _I really got to get myself some new friends',_ he decided.

Blitzwing's Random personality had taken over and his erratic movements and behavior made it much more difficult for Ratchet to hold him off. Meanwhile Prowl and Bulkhead were having problems of their own, Lugnut having figure out their plan of attack and was blocking them. Bulkhead lay on the ground, stunned, from where Lugnut had thrown him. Prowl's attempts to wound the giant Decepticon had all been refuted, so far Prowl was the only one who hadn't been injured. Bulkhead sat up with a groan and winced when the ninja went flying through the air and hit the tree beside him. Deciding that he was in too much pain to get up, he lay back down and contented himself with watching.

* * *

><p>Bulkhead was scared; he would admit that. Of course any bot would be scared if they were lying on the ground with Blitzwing's weapons pointed straight at their spark chamber. As Blitzwing fired Bulkhead tensed, waiting to be off lined. What he didn't expect, however, was for Bumblebee to suddenly appear in front of him shouting, "No!" as he absorbed the shot meant for his friend.<p>

A/N: 5 reviews


	10. Whole Again

Where Art Thou, Little Bee?

Chapter 9: Whole Again

_When he had first awoken Bumblebee's memory had been rather fuzzy; images in the wrong places, voices and faceplates not matching…However, it had all come back to him…eventually that is. He had pieced everything together, one clue at a time, leading up to when Blitzwing had shot him. He had no idea what had happened between then and when he had awoke; he knew that time had passed, three months by his reckoning. Why he wasn't allowed to leave the woods he didn't know but the first time he had tried to, pain, excruciating pain, had forced him to his knee joints. He hadn't attempted to leave since then, preferring the quiet sanctuary of the woods. He didn't know why he had been so sure that his friends would return and free him from the forest but something inside of him had known that they would return…_

* * *

><p>"So tell us what happened after that," Jazz begged, leaning eagerly across the table.<p>

"Well," Bumblebee began. "After Blitzwing shot me everything sort of went black…"

* * *

><p><em>When Bumblebee un-shuttered his optics the light was so bright that he was forced to shield them. After he had adjusted to the light he lowered his servo and looked around. He could see…nothing; nothing at all except for a bright light which encompassed everything.<em>

"_Hello," Bumblebee called hesitantly. "Is anyone here?"_

"_Ah there you are," a voice said then a bot emerged from the light which seemed to glow ever brighter, making him appear to be nothing more than a shadow. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Bumblebee," he continued._

"_Excuse me but do I know you?" Bumblebee asked suspiciously._

"_Oh I'm terribly sorry," he apologized. "How terribly rude of me! I have many names but I believe you know me best as Primus."_

_Two years ago Bumblebee would have been shocked into silence but considering he had spent the past year or so transparent nothing could shock him. So he nodded and merely asked, "Am I dead?"  
>"Yes," Primus answered after a brief hesitation.<em>

"_How long have I been dead?"_

"_About two minutes."_

_Bumblebee frowned in confusion. "But…" he started to say._

"_You're wondering what happened to you two years ago," Primus interrupted, sounding like he was smiling._

"_Yeah."_

"_Well," Primus said, "There was an All Spark fragment in the tree that you hit. You see when Blitzwing shot you the first time he didn't kill you. The fragment fell out of the tree and somehow your spark essence was pulled out of your frame and transferred into the atmosphere. It took a while for all of your energy to be gathered which would account for why you lost three months. And when Blitzwing shot you the second time he shattered the fragment which caused you to really die."_

_Bumblebee nodded. "Why couldn't I leave the woods?"_

"_You could only go a certain distance from your frame," Primus explained. _

"_So what happens to me now?" Bumblebee wondered._

"_Well you could go the Well of All Sparks or you could return to Earth and re-join your friends where you would be restored to your frame."_

_It took Bumblebee less than half a second to make his decision. "I want to return to Earth," he said without any hesitation._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes," there was no doubt in either his voice or his processor._

_Primus suddenly smiled, the light softening ever so slightly. "Then it shall be done." He stepped back and the light grew brighter and brighter until Bumblebee could no longer see anything…_

* * *

><p>"So what be next?" Jetfire asked excitedly.<p>

"Brother I be wanting to know," Jetstorm said, nodding eagerly.

"Okay," Optimus sighed. "Just calm down and I'll tell you."

"We be calm," Jetfire cried.

Optimus eyed the Jet twins disbelievingly but picked up where Bumblebee had left off. "Blitzwing had just shot Bumblebee…"

* * *

><p>"<em>No!"<em>

_The Autobots watched in horror as Bumblebee absorbed the blast. Surprisingly enough the fire didn't pass through him but instead consumed him. Optics wide, they stared at the spot where, seconds before, Bumblebee had been. Now all that remained was gold dust floating in the air._

_Finally Starscream broke the silence and said, "I've never seen anything like that happen before."_

"_Me neither," Lugnut agree._

_Before they had a chance to resume their fight Bumblebee's frame suddenly jerked. The Transformers moved back a step and watched as the gold dust floated over to the frame and disappeared inside it. A bright gold light shone from the area where his spark chamber was located. His armor turned form gray to yellow, black stripes appearing where they had been. Slowly his optics un-shuttered, revealing a beautiful baby blue. He rose to his pedes, swaying from side to side ever to slightly._

_Neither the Autobots or the Decepticons moved but stood there, gaping at the bot in front of them._

"_Don't hurt me please," Blitzwing begged. "I swear, it vas nothing personal. Ve vere just doing our job."_

"_Perhaps you should consider a new line of work," Prowl suggested._

"_That's a very good idea," Icy said thoughtfully. "Ve just might do that."_

* * *

><p>"The Decepticons were so shocked by what happened that they didn't give us any trouble when we locked them back in the brig. Then we arrived here on Cybertron and you bots know everything that happened after that," Optimus finished.<p>

"I gotta admit it's good to be back on Cybertron," Bumblebee said. "Of course getting some new upgrades wasn't that bad either."

"So what are you bots going to do now?" Jazz asked.

The five friends looked at each other and smiled. "Whatever happens next," Optimus replied, speaking for all of them.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee, Bumblebee, where art thou, little Bee?<p>

With wings of gold and stripes of black

Where dost thou hide when thou art so bright?

A sting from thee is quite deadly no matter thy size

With a flick of thy wing thou art gone

Where can you hide when thou art so loud?

So full of life we never noticed thy tears

For one so bold to cower 'tis a shame indeed

Never hearing thy cries for help we left thee behind

We wish to see thee so that we might say sorry

Where are you?

Where did you go, little Bumblebee?

A/N: 10 reviews before I will post the next story.

A/N/N: I apologize if anything in this story was weak or not mentioned enough. One day I will write a story that fills in all of the gaps in this one.

A/N/N/N: Thanks to Zea T who kindly pointed out to me any errors that I made.

The first chapter of 'Mixed-Up 2' should be up Tuesday.

Hope you guys enjoyed it and anyone who wishes to do fan art is more than welcome to.


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